March Madness bracket
The 68‑team men’s field is official: Duke is the overall No.1 seed, joined at the top by Arizona, Michigan and Florida — the committee’s full breakdown is live at ESPN Men's March Madness 2026 bracket: Get to know all 68 teams - ESPN. The East region is stacked — Sporting News called it a “bloodbath” with Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and UConn all vying for Final Four positioning, so bracket‑busting mid‑majors are in play March Madness bracket 2026: Upset predictions, sleepers, Final Four pick in East Region | Sporting News.
UConn is slotted as the No. 2 seed in the East (cbssports.com), Michigan State is the No. 3 seed (cbssports.com) and Kansas landed the No. 4 line in that same quadrant (cbssports.com), a configuration the committee achieved using its S‑curve that stacks a top 1 with a relatively lower No. 2 and a strong No. 3. (cbssports.com) NC State and Texas meet in a First Four play‑in at UD Arena in Dayton on March 17, with the winner scheduled to take on BYU in Portland for a spot in the main draw. (gopack.com) CBS’s bracket tracker identifies the “Last Four In” as Missouri, Miami (Ohio), Texas and SMU, while the “First Four Out” included Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State and California on Selection Sunday. (cbssports.com) KenPom’s adjusted efficiency leaderboard through March 15 lists Duke at +38.90, Arizona at +37.66 and Michigan at +37.59 — the numerical gap underscoring why analytic models peg those squads as the tournament heavyweights. (kenpom.com) Several mid‑majors draw favorable first‑round spots: Akron is a No. 12 versus No. 5 Texas Tech in the Midwest, High Point drew a No. 12 match with Wisconsin in the West and Hofstra sits at No. 13 opposite No. 4 Alabama — classic upset windows for bracket busters. (sports.yahoo.com) Duke’s profile in the bracket comes with star and health notes: Cameron Boozer is listed at 22.7 PPG and 10.2 RPG and is framed as a national‑player‑of‑the‑year frontrunner, while guard Caleb Foster underwent surgery for a fractured foot and Patrick Ngongba II is dealing with a foot issue but is “hopeful” to return. (espn.com)
